The Trouble With Thursday
by Classless
Summary: In a 'Freaky Friday'esque twist, Derek and Casey are forced to find an understanding with each other. Rating subject to change.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Predictably Unpredictable**

Someone had once written that everything bad generally happened on a Thursday. Casey McDonald was inclined to agree. Her hardest tests were on Thursdays. Thursday was the only day she didn't have free period to do homework. Thursday was gym class this year, Thursday was baby sitting Marti because it was George and Nora's date night. And inevitably, it was Thursday when she and Derek got into their largest arguments.

This Friday was going to be the first day of winter break, so of course Thursday was the high school winter carnival. George and Nora cancelled their date to have some 'family fun time'. Edwin and Lizzie and Marti had run off to the rides, while George tried to win Nora purple stuffed bear, leaving the two eldest to their own devices. Most of Derek's friends had deemed the carnival too lame to attend, so he was in a bad mood before they'd even reached the lot. The Davis clan had driven off that afternoon, hoping to beat the traffic, so Casey didn't even have Emily to chat with. Instead, the two stared sullenly at each other, trying to stay out of the wind.

"Give me your tickets. I think I see Samantha over there," Derek demanded as soon as the parents were out of earshot.

"What? No way! If you want more tickets, go buy some." Casey's eyes narrowed.

"See, I would, but I'm broke."

"Well, then that's just too bad. You're not getting any of mine. You're eighteen for chrissake. Get a job." She pulled her scarf tighter around her neck.

"I'm a little busy. With a life, something you wouldn't know anything about."

"I have a life! Mine's just productive and worthwhile."

"Right, and you haven't had a boyfriend since that last date with Tinker. Which by the way, was one of the Casey MacDonald top ten most embarrassing moments."

Infuriated, Casey didn't know how to respond. "How dare you make fun of my love life! I like being single!" She shoved him and stomped off towards the food stalls.

Annoyed, he followed after her, unwilling to give up the bait. He caught up with her in line for some funnel bread. "If you're just going to stand here and eat all night, can I have your tickets so I can go flirt with Samantha? She definitely wanted a piece of me last weekend, until someone had to come in and ruin it." The words were pointed and loud, but Casey just huffed and ignored her stepbrother.

Derek was bound and determined to get another rise out of her. If she was going to respond, then he'd just have to step up the ammo. "Of course, if Emily wasn't out of town, I'd just stop over at her house, and I wouldn't have to worry about what happened last Friday."

"You stay away from Emily!" Casey practically yelled. "She and Trevor are finally dating again, and they don't need you barging in and trying to start something. If you want to go sleeping around with slutty Samantha, that's your prerogative, though you're likely to catch something. I did you an accidental favor on Friday, but I'm starting to regret it now."

He snorted, shaking his head. "Only Casey MacDonald could think that dumping someone's dripping wet laundry on top of me while I'm making out with my date was a favor!"

"I asked you seven times before you left to put it in the dryer, but you were too lazy, so excuse me if it bit you in the ass." The funnel cake line had barely moved, and Casey was starting to notice the disapproving looks from the parents and some of her classmates. Thinking quickly, she looked down at the red tickets in her hand. Nora had only given the older kids four apiece, expecting them to rely on their allowance if they wanted more. Apologizing to the people she bumped, Casey threaded her way out of line and towards the carnival attractions, hoping Derek wouldn't follow her. Looking over her shoulder, she saw him barging through the crowd, doing his best to keep up with her.

She stopped at the first four ticket booth she found. It had heavy red velvet curtains over the entrance, and Casey laughed a little at the sign.

"Madame Tsitsi's Fortune Telling and Spell Casting. I'll believe that when I see it." She glanced back, and Derek was only few yards away. "Which I guess will be now." Casey handed her tickets over to the bored attendant and ducked inside the curtains.

Derek groaned as he watched Casey enter the tent. A fortune teller? He couldn't believe she was so desperate to get away from him that she'd use all of her tickets in one go. But the superstitious side of Derek was intrigued. Would he possibly learn anything juicy or embarrassing by following her in? He'd already resigned himself to the fact that this night would be a bust romantically, so this at least seemed the most intriguing place to find amusement. And it would bother Casey, so there was an added bonus.

The air inside the tent was pungent, filled with too much incense and not enough ventilation. It was dark, too, and it took a moment for her blue eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. There were two plastic folding chairs in front of her, and a short wooden table with a crystal ball and a deck of cards on it. Madame Tsitsi was no where to be seen. She took a seat, apprehensive, wishing she'd just gotten on a roller coaster or something.

Light streamed in behind her, and the last person she expected plopped down in the chair next to her. "You didn't think you'd get rid of me that easily, did ya Case?"

"Ugh, Derek, why can't you ever just leave me alone?"

"Because then I'd be annoyed and bored. At least this way, one of us is having fun."

"I can't believe you think it's fun to torment someone this way! Forget anything nice I've ever said about you. I wish I never had to see you again, Derek Venturi!" Casey hissed, trying to keep her voice low.

"Ahh, and who do we have here?" A wizened black woman wearing an overly large crimson turban popped her head out of the back room in the tent. Her muumuu was made from the same fabric as the tent, and the large gold chains she wore around her neck clattered as she waddled over to bean bag chair by the table. "A couple, come to seek a blessing for their love?"

Casey snorted, and Derek made a gagging noise.

"As if. This is my stepbrother, Derek."

"Pleased to meet you Derek, I am Madame Tsitsi, conduit of the spirits. And you are, my lovely?"

"That's Casey, conduit of the pathetic."

"Yeah, well, that's better than being conduit of the retarded!"

Madame Tsitsi sat at the table while the shouting match escalated. Only when Casey got up to storm off did she clap her hands loudly. "Enough! It is clear what is necessary here. We need a meeting of the minds."

Casey laughed, "as far as I'm concerned, Derek doesn't have a mind to meet." However, she did return to her seat. Derek just kept quiet, glowering.

Waving off Casey's comment, Madame Tsitsi continued, "Yes, yes, what we have here is a simple misunderstanding. While it appears that you two shall be pitted against each other for all eternity, things aren't always as they seem. I have the perfect spell for you two. Wait here, I need to gather up supplies."

The elderly woman creaked as she stood and made her way to the back room again. There were several bangings and thumps, and one loud "Dammit!" before she reentered the public portion of her tent.

"Alright now, middle hands on the table, you two," she commanded, settling into her seat again and spilling her tools in front of her.

The two teenagers looked at each other, confused, then placed their wrists gingerly on the stained white tablecloth. Swiftly, Madame Tsitsi wrapped their wrists together with three cords.

"There, purple for wisdom, black for binding…" she mumbled, sorting out the bottles in front of her.

"What is the red for?" Derek asked, interrupting her work.

"Don't ask silly questions boy, this is magic. And I need complete silence from here on out. Understand me?"

Nodding, Casey was getting more freaked out by the second. Madame sprinkled a few different oils over the bindings, and then waved the incense burner over it three times. Suddenly, she held her hands over her head. Derek's eyes widened and he glanced over at the girl on his right, who looked just as unnerved as he felt.

"Spirits!" the fortune teller beckoned. "Heed me! I pray to you on be half of Darren and Katie…"

"That's Derek."

"And Casey," she chimed in.

"On behalf of Derek and Casey. Grant them understanding! Grant them your eyes, so that they may see only the truth of their souls! Spirits, heed my prayer!"

Madame Tsitsi was silent for a moment before bringing out a pair of shears and cutting the string that held their wrists together. "The spell is done. You may go."

"Uh, I think you forgot something." Derek held up his wrist, a red, black and purple cord still tied around it.

The smirk that the seer wore was unsettlingly similar to his own. "That I cannot remove. Only you can."

"Derek, I think it's time to meet up with Mom," Casey reminded him, trying to reconnect with the real world.

------------

Later that night, as the kids sat on the couch watching TV, Casey found herself toying with the bracelet on her arm, and wondered what it meant. Somewhere in the house, a clock struck midnight, and she yawned, staring blankly at the flickering screen. She could barely even remember what movie they were watching, except that it had the cute guy from 'the Fast and the Furious.'

_The only thing that makes this movie worthwhile is Jessica Alba in a bikini. I wish she'd take her top off._

"Eww, Derek! Keep those kinds of thoughts to yourself!" Casey leaned over the arm of the couch and smacked him on the shoulder. "Disgusting."

"What the hell was that for? What thoughts? I haven't said a word!" Derek scooted over to the far side of his chair, trying to dodge any more slaps.

"Whatever, pig." Casey rolled her eyes until she saw Edwin and Lizzie staring strangely at her.

"Uh, Casey, Derek didn't say anything," Edwin told her gently. Lizzie agreed, trying to back her stepbrother up.

"For real?"

They nodded in unison.

_Wow, I must be going crazy._

Derek chuckled, "well, we all knew it would just be a matter of time, Case."

"What would be a matter of time?" Edwin asked, completely befuddled.

"Until Casey went crazy," Derek stated grabbing the popcorn from the younger boy.

"Wait," Casey snatched the bowl in mid grab, "something weird is going on here."

"Yeah, you're touching my popcorn. Off limits, remember?"

"No. Not that…"

_Derek, I think we can hear each other's thoughts._

The popcorn bowl went flying as Derek fell out of his chair. He gaped at her and the two middle kids shrugged and switched their attention to the TV. Casey and Derek were just weird sometimes.

Derek shook his shaggy brown hair, shaking out kernels and salt. _ It pains me to think it, but Casey, you might be right._

**Author's Notes:**

**I wanted to do something a little more humorous and fun, since my other story is pretty much going to be angst only. As you can imagine, this plot could get easily out of hand, so I do expect the rating to go up in later chapters, so if you like it, keep an eye out for a change.**

**Like I've said before, I'm a very slow author, and not a very inspired one, so I know I won't be updating every week like most people do. I'm sorry! I work on my stories on my breaks at work, but if they get…not work safe...then I'll just be working on them in my spare time at home.**

**Thanks so much for your support and encouragement. I appreciate every review, and constructive criticism is always welcomed.**

**Carolyn**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The White Rabbit**

"How did this happen?" Casey's voice started to reach a new octave as she paced back and forth Derek's room.

_God, I wish she would just shut up sometimes._

"I heard that!" She threw a slipper at him. _Jerk. I can't believe he's just lying around while we're in the middle of a major crisis._

Derek rolled his eyes and sat up on his bed. "And I heard that. You know how this happened; you just don't want to believe it."

"Magic isn't real Derek. Neither is Santa, or the Easter Bunny. Sorry to burst your bubble." She ducked as he threw the slipper back at her.

"Then how do you know exactly what I'm thinking right now?" Derek stared straight at her.

Casey shrieked and covered her ears as if that'd get the picture of a pole dancing Mrs. Pummelman out of her head. "Der-ek! You are a vile, filthy creature! Well, two can play at that game." She glared at her stepbrother, who suddenly cringed.

"Jesus, Case, did Tinker Tomlin actually try to kiss you?" He started to wipe his tongue on his tee-shirt before thinking better of it.

"Ugh. I did make it in the door before he actually got anywhere near me, thank god."

_Thank god is right_, Derek silently empathized.

"I can still hear you," Casey reminded him, "Which brings us back to our little problem. Wait! I have an idea."

"I'm all ears."

"If, and I'm not admitting that I believe in magic or anything, but if Madame Tsitsi is the one who made this happen, then maybe if we sever our only link to her this mind-read-y thing will go away!"

"And that link is…" Derek motioned her to continue, still not following her logic.

"The bracelets!" _Duh._

He glared at her, but rushed over to his desk. Riffling through his drawers, he finally found a pair of dusty scissors. Holding his hand still, he slid the bracelet between the blades, and pressed. Instead of the seeing bits of thread falling to the floor, the teenagers heard a terrible crack, and the tip of the shears clattered onto his keyboard.

_Did that really just happen?_ Casey wondered.

"They…they were old! Probably were already cracked. We need something sharper..sharper..."

"A knife!"

The two bolted for the kitchen, getting tangled in the doorway as they each tried to make it downstairs first. Slipping past her stepbrother, Casey sprinted through the family room, skidding to a stop in front of the island in the kitchen.

"Sharp knife, sharp knife…" She looked around frantically, grabbing one out of the knife rack just as Derek caught up to her.

"Okay, Derek, come here, I'm going to cut your…"

"Casey, put that knife down right now!" George's voice echoed through the kitchen. He stood in the doorway to the basement wearing his pajamas and Nora's fuzzy bunny slippers. His face was so red that Derek was afraid he would pass out from lack of oxygen.

Five minutes later, the stepsiblings were seated at the dining room table, being thoroughly lectured by two irate and sleep deprived parents.

"I am shocked. Just shocked, Casey. I thought you were more responsible than this. Brandishing a knife! That's..attempted…George, help me out here." Nora chewed on her fingernails, distraught.

"Attempted assault! Why didn't you talk to us first! You know we're here to help you out when you get stressed. And Derek, how could you drive your own sister to this!" George's face had gone back to its normal coloring, but his voice cracked a little as he yelled.

"Stepsister," he mumbled, sullenly. _This is all Casey's fault._

Casey couldn't believe the audacity of his thoughts. _Especially not when he sounds likd a damn elephant tramping down the stairs!_ "Listen, Mom, George, we have a perfectly good explanation."

Derek snorted. _I'd like to hear this. 'This witch put a spell on us that these bracelets link us to so now we can hear each other's thoughts.' That'll go over well._

"Yes, Casey?" Nora tapped her nails on the table.

"We were…uh…making a midnight snack!"

_God, she's a terrible liar._

"Yeah, well, then you say something!" Casey slapped a hand over her mouth when she realized she'd spoken out loud.

Nora sat down across from her daughter and took her hands in her own.

"I know we've never had a real mom-daughter talk about this, but Casey, you know you can trust us. We love you with all our hearts." She looked at George for courage. "Casey, are you on drugs?"

The room was dead silent as the two teenagers tried to comprehend what had just happened.

_Do I really have to fix everything around here?_ Derek sighed in his head.

"Nora, don't worry," he broke in. "Casey isn't on drugs. I'd just won a stupid bet about who directed the movie we were watching, so I'd asked her to make me a sandwich with all the fixings. Mustard, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato," he prompted.

George took a seat next to Nora and laid his head on her shoulder. "I feel so silly."

"Of course. Casey would never do drugs," Nora babbled. "Not our Casey. Thank god, because you would be so grounded for all eternity." She tittered nervously.

_I can't believe they bought my story, but only when Derek told it. Sometimes my mom is so gullible!_

"Just sometimes, Case?" Derek raised an eyebrow at his step-sister. George gave his son a puzzled look. "What I meant was…I'll take a rain check on that sandwich. Sometime later, k?"

Casey nodded, playing along. "I think it's bed time for me. Got to um, study tomorrow."

"But it's winter vacation," George objected.

"That doesn't mean it's time to slack off." Casey's voice jumped up and down as she hastily tried to get out of the conversation. She went and gave her mom and step dad a hug, then practically fled upstairs.

"I think I'm going to hit the sack, too. All this lecturing is putting me to sleep."

George patted him on the shoulder as they all went their separate ways.

Derek settled under the covers, still shaking his head. _Casey on drugs?_ He tried to picture what kind of pothead she'd be. _Probably the giggly type. Certainly not the lazy type. Maybe she'd be one of those girls who wants to have sex every time she got high. I know a few guys who'd love that._

Casey banged on the wall between their rooms. "Shut up! Go to sleep!"

"It's kind of hard to sleep with all the noise from over there!" he yelled back, trying to blank out his mind. _This sucks so hard._

Snuggling back into her blankets, Casey mentally agreed. _Still, I wonder who wants me to be slutty._

Derek groaned and rolled over, pulling his pillow over his head. This was going to be a very long night.

**Author's Notes:**

**This is what I consider a very short update. However, the reviews make it look like people would rather have more frequent updates than longer updates. I'm willing to go either way. So my updating schedule will be partially what you let me know in my reviews. I think I'm still going to go with longer chapters for my other story Same Old Song And Dance, because it's of a more serious nature, and comedy is easily made episodic.**

**Anyway, the point is, leave me a review saying what you'd rather have me do update-wise, and if there's a clear majority one way or the other, I'll go that route.**

**Special thanks to KATiNTHEHAT5544, Oasis Blackmore, CHL-crackhead, dying for a heart, Malicia, LiveLaughLovex3, gabbyrose, Chica de los ojos café, RAWR-IKICKBUTT, bubble tea babe, Carrie, ChristyLoisGillmore, SoulmatesDC, and CassaundraDonald for all your support. I hate to say it, because it makes me feel like I'm pandering for praise, but your reviews mean a lot to me. Don't be afraid to critique me, either.**

**Carolyn**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: 20/20 Vision**

Friday morning, Derek shuffled out of his pit of a bedroom, barely able to keep his eyes open. His hair stuck up at odd angles because of the night he spent tossing and turning. Stretching, Derek wondered if Casey's dreams were as weird as his.

"They were." The door to the bathroom came flying open and almost smacked him in the face. Casey had a brush in hand and was desperately attempting to calm the tangles that framed her face. The dark circles under her eyes were evidence that she had also spent the night tossing and turning in her bed. "I think our dreams are bleeding into each others."

"Why do you think that?" Derek asked, curious.

She glared at him, and for once he didn't know why. "Jessica Alba trying to strip me while I danced on a bed of nails seemed a pretty good indication to me!" Casey snapped, brushing past him.

"Yeah, well, it could've been worse," he muttered to her retreating form.

A laugh echoed down the hall as Casey heard him mentally grumbling about being dressed as Shakespeare's Juliet and swooning into Paul Walker's arms.

He thumped downstairs, stomach rumbling. Casey's thoughts were like gnats buzzing in his ears. _What am I going to wear today? What should I do today? Where did my pink corduroys go? Ugh, I need to do laundry. Are those underwear clean?_ The droning of her thoughts was so distracting he missed the bottom step and lost his balance, landing squarely on his butt. Derek stifled a yelp, letting out a stream of curse words in his head.

Casey rushed to the stairwell rubbing her temples. "Will you keep it down! You're giving me a headache!"

"Sorry," he muttered trying to push himself to his feet. "I didn't realize how much _you_ were in pain."

She sighed and held out her hand to help him up. _Why is it Derek always seems to know exactly what to say to make me feel guilty?_

Derek hesitated before grabbing her hand. Her thought bothered him. _Sometimes I manipulate people without even meaning to. I feel kind of bad about that. _He gave an imperceptible shake of his head._ I have got to stop thinking this way. I'll ruin my bad boy image. _Derek narrowed his eyes as he noticed Casey watching him intently.

"Stop that," he snapped.

Crossing her arms defensively, Casey prepared for battle. "Well, it's not like I asked to be privy to the innermost thoughts of Derek Venturi!"

"So? Just because you have access to my head doesn't mean you have my permission to listen!"

"I don't want to listen! I don't want to know how long ago you washed your shirt! I don't want to know that you prefer girl's shampoo!" She lowered her voice, scandalized by her pronouncement. "I don't want to know that you think I have a nice butt!"

Derek's jaw dropped. "I do…do...not." He stuttered.

"Oh, whatever. You can lie to my face, but I hear every little disgusting thought you have."

"Fine! But you pee in the shower!" He retaliated. Casey blushed furiously.

"So? Everyone pees in the shower, don't they?" A third voice chimed in.

The two teenager's heads snapped up. Edwin, Lizzie and Marti sat perched on the top steps, watching the fight unfold. "I mean, I'm right…right?" Edwin continued.

Lizzie pushed her stepbrother further away. "Gross, Edwin!"

Marti skipped down the stairs, giving her big brother a hug. "So, you two can mind talk, like I do with Princess Toralora?" She asked a puzzled expression on her face. She held a well worn doll up to her ear. "Princess Toralora thinks that's cool."

Before Derek could speak, Casey interrupted him.

"No! Um, what I meant was that I _know_ what Derek's thinking. Because, um, he's always gross, like Edwin. He's…predictable." She nodded emphatically, hoping Derek would follow her lead. _Oh god oh god, how are we going to get out of this…_

"Awww, but I wanted to mind talk with Smerek."

Casey rolled her eyes. "Trust me, no, you don't."

Her stepbrother shot her a dirty look as he tousled Marti's hair. "Tell you what Smarti, we'll practice mind talking later, k?"

The nine year old nodded, and then skipped off, swinging Princess Toralora. Lizzie and Edwin conferred, decided their siblings we just in some sort of phase, then wandered down to the kitchen to get some breakfast. As soon as they'd filed past her, Casey grabbed Derek's arm and dragged him upstairs.

"You can't tell any of them about this," she hissed slamming the door on her room.

Derek flopped down on her bed, waiting for her to freak out. _Seriously, as long as I live with this girl, I will never understand her mood swings._

She fixed him with a glare. "If they know we can hear each other's thoughts, they'll tell my mom and George, and they will think we're crazy. And then they'll really think I'm on drugs, and I'll be grounded for life!"

"Sucks for you." Derek shrugged. "If you didn't freak out all the time, they never would've heard our conversation, and you wouldn't be here, boring me to death. So stop talking to me about it, and just keep your big mouth shut."

Casey pursed her lips, annoyed. _I didn't freak out, did I? No, Derek's just trying to get under my skin again. Ugh, why does he always bring out the worst in me? Maybe I did overreact a little bit…_

"If you hadn't sworn so damn loudly I wouldn't have been down there in the first place," Casey retorted obstinately

Shaking his head, Derek laid a patronizing hand on her arm. "Casey, Casey, Casey. Your words say I'm wrong, but your mind says I'm right. I don't even know why you bother."

She sighed and re-counted the days until graduation. It calmed her down enough to approach their situation from a logical perspective. "Regardless of who is wrong or right…"

"I'm right," Derek interrupted.

With another glare for her stepbrother, Casey continued, "We need to know the boundaries of this thing, need to test it."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Hold on one second." She disappeared into the hallway and Derek heard random '_where the heck's_ and _'I put them here's _and even one _'Goddammit, I thought I told Edwin to throw these away!'_ before she returned, two walkie talkies and a deck of playing cards in hand. She tossed one of the walkie talkies and the deck of cards to Derek.

"I need you to go in every room of the house, take out a different card, and picture it. Then, if I can still hear you, we go farther. When I can't hear you, we're obviously out of range."

"Why do I have to run around? I'm comfy." Derek fluffed one of the pillows behind his head.

"Because it's my room, and I said so," Casey growled. "Besides, there's no way I'm opening those."

Inspecting the deck of cards closely, Derek grinned from ear to ear. "My old nudie deck! I thought Edwin had gotten rid of it!"

"Figures it was yours."

Derek smirked, climbing off of Casey's bed. _This is going to be too much fun._

Her eyes widened as she realized what he planned on doing. "Maybe I should be the one to run around…I mean you do need to conserve your energy for hockey…"

He just laughed and held the cards behind his back. She tried in vain to grab them, but he dodged her and made his way to the bathroom. _Hindsight is always twenty-twenty._

Casey lay back in the spot Derek had just vacated hands over her face, preparing for the worst. _Derek? With a pack of dirty playing cards? What was I thinking?_

**Author's Notes:**

**Sorry this chapter took such a long time. I know I promised to do more frequent updates, but apparently, Texans freak the hell out when there's cold weather such as ice & snow, and the file I was working on with most of this chapter in it got trapped at my office for the last two days and I didn't get it home until today. The good news is that you should expect an update for Same Old Song And Dance soonish, because of all the time off I got.**

**It's been requested that I keep this story rated T because not all of my readers legally can/have the desire to read something a little steamier, so if I do end up doing chapters with more mature content, I'll start a second story, one that's basically the same, except with that content in there, rated M, so everyone wins.**

**Special thanks to scrivania, OverlyDramatic, Oasis Blackmore, degrassiderikdrake, deviocity, Chica, WhenPicklesFly, Rawr!Ikickbutt, iluvarcticmonkeys, Live-Laugh-Love, soulmatesDC (Okay, seriously, you have got to stop reading my mind…I was totally planning on doing a scene like that before I decided on going over winter break), Casaundra Donald, CHL-Crackhead, Bubble Tea Babe, Redpolkadots, and silverjazz. If it weren't for your reviews, I wouldn't have nearly as much motivation to share some my crazy stories! Don't be afraid to critique, I read 'em all and take 'em all into consideration!**

**Carolyn**


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